Date: Thu, 05 Jun 1997 07:34:16 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Warren J. Blumenfeld"
MAKING COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES SAFE FOR GAY, LESBIAN,
BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER (GLBT) STUDENTS AND STAFF
by Warren J. Blumenfeld
The following is a summary from _Making Colleges and Universities Safe
for Gay and Lesbian Students: Report and Recommendations of the
Massachusetts Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth_,
Warren J. Blumenfeld, Principal Author.
(For a free copy of the report, write to: The Governor's Commission
on Gay and Lesbian Youth, Room 111, State House, Boston, MA 02133)
I. Policies
1. Enact nondiscrimination policies on the basis of sexual orientation in
matters of hiring, tenure, promotion, admissions, and financial aid.
2. Have policies and procedures for dealing with homophobic violence
and harassment.
3. Have a written, inclusive, and affirming definition of "couples" that
is nondiscriminatory towards same-sex couples in a way that is appropriate
for each institution.
4. Ensure equal access and equality of all benefits and privileges granted to
all employees and students.
5. Have policies of active outreach in hiring openly GLBT and/or GLBT-
sensitive faculty, staff, and administrators in all segments of the campus
community.
6. Actively recruit openly GLBT prospective students.
All of the above policies should be written, clear, consistent, accessible,
and well-publicized throughout the campus.
II. Training and Development
1. Homophobia and other "diversity" workshops should be implemented
for the entire campus community to sensitize and educate staff, faculty,
and administrators.
III. Services
1. Colleges and universities provide official recognition, support, and
funding of campus GLBT student organizations.
2. Physically safe, secure, and appropriate space with a welcoming,
emotionally safe atmosphere should be available to GLBT organizations
for meetings, social events, coffee houses, lectures, fora, workshops, and
other events.
3. Legal and fundraising support services should be available to GLBT students.
4. Campus housing should include GLBT living options.
5. University leadership should make strong, clear, public statements on a
regular basis that state the college's commitment to ending discrimination,
conviction that violence and harassment are entirely unacceptable, and
appreciation of the value of diversity on campus, including diversity of
sexual identity.
6. Colleges and universities hire openly GLBT or GLBT-sensitive
therapists/counselors, faculty, staff, and administrators.
7. Peer counselors and/or campus crisis hotline volunteers be adequately
trained in sensitivity to sexuality, sexual orientation/identity, and "coming
out" issues.
8. Effective AIDS education, imperative for all people of all sexual
orientations, must be available and widespread.
9. Social activities through residence halls, Offices of Student Activities,
and other organizations must be not only inclusive of all sexual orientations
and identities, without pressures toward heterosexuality, but actively
welcoming of GLBT people as well as same-sex couples.
10. College and university presidents have a standing advisory committee,
panel, or board, appointed or elected in consultation with GLBT students,
staff, and faculty members.
11. Student opinion should be assessed regularly, by the above mentioned
panel or in some other manner, in order to gauge the effectiveness of
implemented changes.
12. Campus publications should take care to provide adequate and fair
coverage of GLBT events and issues, both on and off campus.
13. Colleges and universities should aid students in alumni outreach.
14. Internship opportunities may also be cultivated among local GLBT-
owned businesses and GLBT activist and community service organizations.
15. The diversity within the GLBT community should be recognized and
affirmed.
16. The location and availability of resources of value to GLBT people
should be published in materials distributed to all students, faculty, staff,
and alumni.
17. Personnel at the Career Planning/Placement Center, like personnel
in every college area, should be sensitive to GLBT issues and be aware
of employment opportunities in GLBT owned or GLBT friendly businesses
and community service organizations.
18. While needs differ greatly at each of the hundreds of institutions of
higher education, it seems clear that for many, if not most, the most
critically important and invaluable resource is a GLBT campus resource
center with a paid administrator, staff, and resources.
19. In institutions where financial resources do not allow for centers
and/or administrative support for any "minorities," there should at least
be an ombudsperson or other clearly recognized, identified, and publicized
as an official liaison to the campus GLBT community.
IV. Curriculum / Educational Materials / Academic Affairs
1. Issues relating to GLBT people should be formally and permanently
integrated into existing courses across the curriculum.
2. Speakers on GLBT topics, and particularly those who present scholarly
research on GLBT topics, should be brought to campus regularly.
3. Courses dealing specifically with GLBT issues in the humanities,
natural sciences, education, social sciences, and other disciplines should
be established.
4. A visiting scholar position in GLBT studies should be created and
supported on a continuing basis.
5. College and university libraries should increase their holdings of
GLBT books, periodicals, and computer networking systems.
6. Campus facilities should be available for regional GLBT studies
conferences, with administrative support provided.
7. Fellowship opportunities should be created and funded for
teaching and research of GLBT topics.
8. Scholarship and research into GLBT history, culture, and theory
should be encouraged and supported in faculty and students.
9. All multicultural education should be inclusive of the issues,
history, culture, and experiences of GLBT people in the United
States and worldwide. Multicultural awareness (social diversity)
courses should be mandatory for all students at some point during
the undergraduate years.
10. An archive and history of GLBT organizations on campus
should be created.
V. Employee Concerns
1. Policies regarding equal benefits and nondiscrimination should
be made clear in recruiting brochures, informational materials,
campus publications, and orientation sessions.
2. The university should aid, support, and fund the creation of GLBT
faculty and staff discussion, support, and networking groups.
3. Trade unions and professional organizations should have inclusive
policies and supportive services available to their members.
4. There should be equality in all benefits, including, for example:
bereavement leave, insurance coverage, library privileges, access to
gym and other recreational facilities, listings in directories if spouses
are customarily listed, housing for GLBT couples where the qualifications
are analogous to the qualifying basis for heterosexuals, "couple" rates must
be made available to GLBT couples, access to any and all other privileges
and benefits by GLBT partners if access is available to heterosexual spouses.
5. There should be ongoing sensitivity training and staff development on
GLBT issues for all employees.
6. Colleges and universities should cover the expenses of employees
attending conferences on GLBT issues.
VI. Community / Off-Campus Concerns
1. Community GLBT groups should be invited to attend campus events as
participants, guests, and event leaders and facilitators.
2. Information regarding social, religious, and other community resources
should be made easily accessible to all students, staff, faculty, and
administrators.
3. Counselors, administrators, and faculty should be available to parents
or other community members to alleviate any concern that may arise out
of the implementation of any of the above recommendations, as well as
any concerns arising during their child's coming out process, if that is the
case.
4. Representatives of GLBT student groups from different schools should meet
regularly to keep each other appraised of upcoming events, plan events
together,
and strengthen the GLBT community.
5. Publications, fundraising materials, and all other publications distributed
to parents and alumni should include relevant and appropriate stories, essays,
and news regarding GLBT issues, organizations, and events.
6. Corporations, public agencies, and government, religious, and
community agencies and institutions that do not have official written
policies against discrimination based on sexual orientation should be
strongly discouraged or prohibited from on-campus employment or
enlistment recruiting.
***********************************************************
Warren J. Blumenfeld is founder and first director of the National
Gay Student Center. (This organization exists today as the Gay,
Lesbian, and Bisexual Student Caucus of the United States Student
Association.) He is co-author of the book _Looking at Gay and Lesbian
Life_, editor of the book _Homophobia: How We All Pay the Price_,
author of _AIDS and Your Religious Community_, and editor of the
_Journal of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Identity_. He is also
co-producer of the documentary film "Pink Triangles," on the topic
of homophobia.
Warren J. Blumenfeld, P.O. Box 929, Northampton, MA 01061;
(413) 585-9121;
e-mail: blumenfeld@educ.umass.edu
**********************************************************
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